Power II: Dawn of Eternity
Chapter I Part I Her head swirled with maelstrom energy, so powerful, so think, so malevolent, that all memory of her prior life was a blur. As she staggered across the barren landscape of Crux Prime, her drooping head gazed down at her infected body. Her clothes had been reduced to rags around her. A solitary violet-tinted tear crept down her twisted, maelstrom-corrupted face. She was someone important once. She had a purpose, a mission. Now all she had was ruin. Something drove her on, however. Whether it was fear of what lay behind, or desire for what lay ahead, not even she herself was sure. All she knew was that she had to get to Nexus Tower. They could help. There was still enough left of her former psyche to know that they could help. If they didn’t smash her first. The strain in her legs was overwhelming; she had walked around aimlessly for goodness knows how long. She tried to groan, but instead a low, disjointed grunt came from her almost non-existent lips. As she forced herself forward, she wondered why she had to get to the majestic headquarters of the Nexus Force, why something within her even desired to, but she kept walking. It was better than doing nothing. All sense of time had parted from her fogged up mind as she wandered; she felt like mere seconds had passed when in reality, she had been hobbling through Crux Prime for hours. She suddenly found herself to be remarkably exhausted. After making a final struggle to stay upright, the stromling finally collapsed. She collapsed right in front of the teleportation station leading into Nexus Tower. Part II Alphos Brightstar sat still on his bed in his brand new, incredibly spacious apartment in Nexus Tower, gazing at his Rank 3 Sentinel Greatsword. He wouldn’t need it anymore, in fact, he would be completely re-outfitted for battle with all the latest Sentinel equipment. He would be treated with respect, honor, and given command of his own unit of Sentinel warriors. Alphos was being made a Captain. And he couldn’t have felt more miserable. “What did I do to deserve a promotion?” Alphos muttered to himself, “I can’t take two steps without someone I care about getting hurt. Putting me in charge of more people is just gonna result in more tragedy.” It was times like this that Alphos wished that he still had Axenya by his side, to comfort him, reassure him, tell him that he would do a good job, but that could never be now. Alphos had watched Axenya fall in battle, and Alphos felt with every fiber of his being that he could have saved her. That, and his friend Exotus’ bold sacrifice on Crux Prime were exactly why Alphos didn’t want the job. It would only result in more pain and suffering. Alphos’ ceremony was starting in 10 minutes, and he knew he would have to get there quickly, but not to accept his new rank. He had to get there to tell them to call it off. Part III Duke Exeter stood impatiently at a delicately carved pedestal of marble, stationed at the head of a large hall within Nexus Tower. An elegantly groomed minifigure dressed in a tuxedo stepped out from behind a large red curtain behind Duke Exeter, and whispered in the legendary warrior’s ear. “Private Brightstar would like to speak with you, sir.” “CAPTAIN Brightstar. That’s why we’re here right now,” Exeter corrected. “That’s what he would like to speak with you about.” Exeter bristled at the response, and turned towards the silent array of seated minifigures before him. “I’ll be back momentarily,” he said, and with that, stepped behind the velvet curtains. Alphos was standing before him, grimly waiting for what came next. “Why aren’t you out on stage?” Exeter snapped. “I…. SIR, I can’t accept this promotion.” “What do you MEAN you can’t accept it? Why couldn’t you?” “Because Sir, I don’t believe I’m fit for the job.” “Not fit, rubbish! You’re one of the finest warrior I’ve ever seen, you’ve demonstrated bravery, ingenuity and initiative at every turn! I can’t think of a soldier I’d rather surround my men with!” “To get smashed?!” Alphos yelled his emotions spiraling out of control, “Because that’s all that ever happens to people around ME! You might as well send your men to fight the Baron himself, they’d stand a better against him than they would beside me.” Duke sighed sadly, and shook his head. “Alphos, listen to me. I know you’ve lost friends, I know that not everyone has escaped the battles you’ve seen alive. Such is the cost of war. No victory comes without a loss, be it loss of life, or the mere resources required to win the battle. The truth is, Alphos, that the Battle of Nimbus would have been lost if you had not held the enemy off while Private Danexi retrieved backup from the ninja..” “But…” “Exotus never would have been able to defeat the Wielder AND free all of the prisoners in time, and the number of Exodus units and stromlings you faced during the Battle of Crux would have smashed a half dozen of my best elites….” “But…” “NOT TO MENTION, that I don’t even think that Exotus would have overcome the corruption within him had you not been there. Alphos, I’m obviously not going to force you to accept this position, but I just want you to give this a try. I trust you. Trust me.” “Ok,” Alphos murmured, “I’ll give it a try.” “That’s a good soldier. Now let’s make you a Captain,” Duke said, “Tomorrow you meet your new unit.” Part IV It was a perfectly typical day at Nexus Tower for Vanda Darkflame, who went about her numerous duties as Paradox faction leader with her usual cunning and decisiveness. Even with as much foresight as she had though, she could not have possibly anticipated what was about to happen. She was walking casually down the massive corridor connecting the Paradox and Assembly rooms on Nexus Tower’s public floors, when she saw a group of her own scientists run towards the elevators leading to the ground floor. One of them glanced over his shoulder, and upon spotting Vanda, strode towards her, with a stern air that exuded urgency. “Mistress Darkflame,” he said, “Come with us. We’ll brief you on the situation on the way down.” “I am your LEADER,” she said commandingly, “You will brief me now.” “Of course, Mistress,” he replied, “A few minutes ago, one of our scouts found a stromling collapsed on the threshold of the tower.” “Strange that it was collapsed, but why is this one so special?” “A quick glance told us that this was no generic spawn of maelstrom. This is an infectee.” Vanda drew in a sharp breath. Infected minifigures were extremely rare, as normal maelstrom protocol dictated that battles were won and enemies smashed on sight. What small percentage of stromlings that were infected minifigures reached that state rarely, most often due to uncontrollable burst of maelstrom energy, or physical exposure to liquid maelstrom. Stromlings very rarely bothered to infect anybody. Of course, Vanda reasoned, the chance to study an infected minifigures would prove invaluable. If the secret to cleansing minifigures of infection could be uncovered, hundreds, no, thousands of lives could be spared. It could be the very secret to ending the maelstrom as a whole. “Get it to my lab,” Vanda ordered, “NOW. I’ll be there prepping my equipment.” “Yes Mistress,” the scientist said, and he hurried on his way. *** A few minutes later, the unconscious stromling lay strapped to table in Vanda’s lab. Numrous camera-like devices hovered over its body, taking high-definition images of its infection. Other machines scanned it for any sign of imagination energy. What those machines discovered gave Vanda a shock that could fell a stromling Ape. The stromling’s Creation Spark was almost completely untouched by maelstrom. Part V Chaos. Torment. Anguish. All this and more shall soon befall the Nexus Force, Exodus Prime thought to himself, from within the thick walls of his makeshift base on a small planet beyond the sea of fragments of what was once the planet Crux. He gazed around at the inside of his headquarters; great pillars carved from dark grey stone held the ceiling of his new base 20 meters above his head, which was in turn carved with scores of tiny pictograms portraying the Nexus knows what in some ancient forgotten language. The walls of the structure were coated in an equal number of carvings, but what was most impressive about them was that they were made of solid marble. Obviously the place was some kind of forgotten palace, perhaps designed by the First Builders themselves. Exodus Prime smiled wickedly from behind his ebony helmet as he thought of how the multiple control panels and other electronic sensors had sprouted out of the ground and walls at his command, his staff channeling his own imagination energy through the chaos of the maelstrom to create anything he desired, and his desire didn’t stop there. He strode over to one of the yawning mouths that were the windows of the headquarters, each one wide enough to allow ten minifigures standing side by side to view the outside world without obstruction. The view from the particular window was awe-inspiring, to say the least. A barren plain extended out from the base of the palace to where it met a turquoise sea, a panorama almost as striking as that of the heaped, snowcapped mountains that could be viewed from the building’s rear. It wasn’t the raw beauty of nature that caused a robotic cackle of sinister mirth to erupt from Exouds Prime’s lips though; in the plains below, thousands of stromlings operated thousands of pieces of machinery to fit together thousands of equally complex components. Those components were fitting together to form three maelstrom warships, and each one upon completion would be twice the size of the Nexus Force vessels that had been so crucial in the defeat of the Wielder a few weeks before. Exodus Prime knew that his enemy had nothing that could stand in the way of these crushing vehicles of war, and few soldiers willing to try. “The Nexus Force will fall,” he muttered in his cyborg’s monotone, “And then I will rule this Universe.” Part VI Immediately after the Battle of Crux Prime three weeks previous, an enraged Zegon paced back and forth along the wide platform in the Temple of Eternity. Anger coursed through his veins themselves. The Blade of Eternity was gone, and with it, all his dreams of glory, power, and most importantly retribution on his enemies. Surely it was still out there, SURELY a weapon that powerful could not simply be destroyed. He had to find it. Maybe the temple was just another test. Yes, Zegon reasoned, Anything’s possible. He went back to the wall carving designed to hold the three blades, and examined the inscriptions once again. As he had seen before, they merely named the blades in turn. He cast his eyes downwards dejectedly. To his surprise, at the very bottom of the carving, there were more hieroglyphs, ones he hadn’t spied at first. “Bestower of Eternity,” Zegon murmured, reading the ancient language aloud, “Well what in the name of the Nexus does THAT mean?!” He looked around the room once again, at the twin pedestals, the three mounted holders. His eyes came to rest once more upon the strange hieroglyphs. “Bestower,” he repeated, “To bestow, to give, to grant…,” he gazed up at the massive cavern around him, “That’s it! This thing doesn’t hold the Blade of Eternity, it GIVES the POWER of Eternity.” He quickly got to work, placing his mysterious torches in the pedestals and the Blades of Light and Darkness in their holders, then stood back to admire his work. Obviously there was something he had to do to begin the process now, but what was it? He noted that the pedestals were about the arm span of a fully grown minifigures apart, so he decided to take his chances with that first. While both torches were still mounted in the pedestals, he grabbed both handles. The torches glowed to life, and Zegon saw trails of light forming along the carvings in the pedestals. He grinned gleefully as the wall carving itself began to illuminate itself through its nook s and crannies, the lit areas slowly converging on the wall mounts. The mounts for the Blades of Light and Darkness soon shone as well, but when the pathways of light reached the last mount, Zegon nearly screamed in frustration. Nothing happened. Part VII Vanda couldn’t believe her luck; an untainted Creation Spark meant that there was a high chance of restoring the infected minifigure’s original form. The process would be far from easy, but at least easier than it would have been otherwise. “I want the Operating Room readied,” Vanda said coolly, “We might be able to restore this one.” One of the scientists in the room glanced up at Vanda in shock. “Are you sure, Mistress Darkflame?” he queried, “The chance to study an infectee…” “…Is far outweighed by the opportunity to obtain intelligence on the inner workings of the Maelstrom. Who knows what this poor creature can tell us with its own lips?” “Understood Mistress,” the scientist said, though Vanda could tell he still disagreed with her, “OR will be prepped as per your command.” Paranoia overtook Vanda, and she wheeled the gurney carrying the unconscious stromling to the operating room herself. Upon arrival, a group of scientists and doctors in hazmat suits gently lifted their chaotic patient onto the operating table. Powerful lamps were activated, illuminating every last square centimeter of the stromling’s body. Vanda, standing there in donned scrubs, picked up an imagination imbued scalpel. “Let us begin,” she said. Part VIII Alphos strode down the corridors of Nexus Tower leading towards the building’s massive hangar bays, Duke Exeter leading the way. “Your new unit is quite excited to meet you,” the Sentinel leader said, “I trust you feel the same way?” “I guess I just hope I don’t disappoint them, sir,” Alphos replied grimly. “You won’t,” Duke said, “Just be yourself, and they’ll take a natural liking to you. Trust me.” “Yes, sir.” As Alphos walked into the bustling hangar, his eyes scanned the room for a sign of his new team, but instead saw nothing but the usual; a few dozen fighter vessels being serviced by mechanically inclined minifigures. At least, that’s what he saw the first time around. A second glance revealed to him a small interplanetary cruiser, about one-sixteenth the size of the Venture Explorer, boldly emblazoned with the proud emblem of the Sentinel Faction. Twin gun emplacements were mounted on each side of the vehicle, and the entire spacecraft was shaped like a snub-nosed bullet with stubby wings and dorsal fins. Standing at attention in front of the relatively small vessel were three almost disturbingly young minifigures in Sentinel uniforms. Alphos himself was barely twenty, and these officers looked fresh out of high school. He hoped that wasn’t actually the case. “Captain Alphos Brightstar, meet Sargent Dawn Lekon and Privates John Retex and Kypton Shento.” “SIR, YES, SIR!” the young recruits chimed. “I’m very pleased to meet all of you… um, at ease,” Alphos stammered. This was going to be a long day. Part IX Alphos could see the Duke had meant it when he had said that his new unit was excited to meet their new commanding officer. Both John and Kypton wouldn’t stop saluting Alphos, and Dawn was trembling a little. Alphos was starting to wonder who would break the silence first, when Duke turned to leave. “Well, I’ll let you four get to know each other, but one last thing before I go,” Duke said, as he rummaged around in his pocket for an access card. An access card for a ship, which he then handed to Alphos. “I figured you’d need something a little bigger,” he said with a smile, then walked smartly towards the hangar bay door. “Thank you sir!” Alphos called, but didn’t get a response. He’d really wished the Duke had stayed there with him. At least that might break the awkward silence. Oh well, Alphos thought to himself, he might as well get things over with. He turned to Dawn first. “Sargent Lekon, he said, trying to sound official, “What are your credentials?” “Well… sir!” she stammered with a flip of her nut brown hair that reminded Alphos painfully of Axenya, “I graduated high school last year with a 4.0 GPA, took a crash course through the academy and emerged at the top of my class in marksmanship, piloting and starship engineering. I specialized as a Space Ranger. I was a close second in my swordsmanship class and… thank you.” “May I ask for what?” “My father is one of Duke Exeter’s elite troopers. You saved his life three weeks ago on Crux Prime. Thank you.” “I did my best,” Alphos said, trying to remain above his memories of that day. He turned to Private Retex next, and was just about to speak when the young man intercepted the words in his mouth. “Private John Retex, SIR!” he said, “I specialized as a Knight at the Nexus Force academy, and studied advanced battle strategy. I was at the top of my swordsmanship class.” “Good to know, soldier,” Alphos said. He then glanced over at private Shento. Shento had a mysterious air around him that seemed to suit a Paradoxian more than a Sentinel. He wore gleaming Samurai armor and carried a katana that was either brand new or had been polished within an inch of its life. “Private Kypton Shento,” Alphos said, “What have you to say about yourself?” “Only that I am ready to serve you, Captain Brightstar.” At that moment, the comm unit on Alphos’ wrist began to beep. Alphos accepted the call, and Duke’s voice crackled over the speaker. “Alphos, I want you and your team to report to the war room at once. I’ve just received some disturbing news.” “Yes sir,” Alphos replied, glad of finally having something to do, “Team, move out!” Part X “THINK, you oblivious fool, THINK!” Zegon screamed to himself, “There must be something you’re missing!” He scanned the room, his mind running a logical check of everything that could be relevant to the ritual. A second examination of the torch pedestals showed that he had indeed operated them correctly, so that was one less thing to think of. The unfortunate thing was that those two pedestals and the three sword holders on the wall were the only things in the cave he could interact with. Then it clicked. “The temple… it bestows the Power of Eternity… perhaps LITERALLY! The power itself needs a vessel to reside in! I need another sword!” The problem was that aside from the Blades of Light and Darkness, he had brought no swords with him at all, and he knew he could just walk up to Nexus Tower and buy a new one. Not without getting arrested, or worse, shot on sight. “There has to be somewhere else I can get a sword…” Zegon muttered. Perhaps one of the warriors who fell during the Crux battle dropped one. He’d check there first. Zegon strode back across the nerve-destroying stone bridge over the lava pit, and made his way back up the tunnel to Caldera Mar. It was when he reached the cave-in again that he noticed the skeleton he had passed on the way in. The skeleton had a sword. “YES!” Zegon exclaimed, snatching the rusty old weapon up from ageing bones. He bolted back down the tunnel to the central cavern and placed the weapon in the central holder. He placed a hand on each of the torches, and once again the glyphs in the wall began to light up. This time, when it reached the central holder, there was a flash of light so bright, so unbelievably brilliant, that Zegon thought it would permanently blind him. When the light was gone, the rusty old blade was no longer there. In its place was a gleaming golden sword with a design reminiscent of the Blades of Light and Darkness. There were also three transparent minifigures standing in front of it. Chapter II Part I Alphos and his team stood silently at attention as Duke Exeter glided into the Sentinel War Room, each one equally eager and nervous to receive the news. The Sentinel leader came to a halt behind his giant holographic map table, and his eyes came to rest on Alphos. “What’s the news, sir?” Alphos said. “As I said, disturbing,” Duke replied, “One of our cargo vessels was shipping in supplies from beyond Nimbus System, beyond the Crux fragments for that matter. On its way past one of our neighboring star systems, it detected a chaotic presence on one of its planets.” “Chaotic…” Sargent Lekon commented, “As in, maelstrom?” “Correct,” Duke uttered, and the others in the room drew in a quick breath. If the Maelstrom had spread beyond the surviving remains of planet Crux, it could dominate the entire universe. “I don’t think I have to inform you all of what’s at stake here, though I would like to make it completely clear that this mission is for reconnaissance purposes only. Alphos, I want you to take your ship and crew to this planet,” Duke said, as he waved his hand over the map table to reveal a three dimensional image of the world he was referring to, “and determine exactly what the situation of infection is there. Then return. I don’t want or expect any heroics here. Are we clear?” “Clear, sir,” Alphos said. “Good,” Duke said, “I’ll order for your ship to be prepped for departure as soon as possible. Good luck.” Good luck, Alphos thought to himself. He wished that Duke hadn’t said those two words. It meant that luck was probably something he’d need. Part II As the light of morning glared into the Nexus Tower Medical Centre’s recovery rooms, a stromling lay outstretched in bed, the operation conducted the previous day slowly cleansing her body of maelstrom infection. Outside the door of the recovery ward, Vanda Darkflame approached a few of the nearby doctors. “How is our patient?” she asked the elder of the two doctors. “In perfect truth, I believe that we’ve perfected our process. The patient is recovering nicely. Superficial traces of infection should disappear within the next 24 hours, while the patient will continue to experience residual sickness for the next week or so. Basically, we’re looking at a full recovery.” “Excellent!” Vanda chimed, one of her rarer tones of speech, “Run facial recognition scans through our missing persons database; it should be able to perceive our patient’s identity despite the maelstrom deformation. Let’s id our stromling.” “Yes mistress,” the doctor replied. He turned on his heel, and strode off to carry out the orders given to him. Vanda on the other hand entered the recovery room to examine the patient herself. One glance at the creature’s slowly recovering face though caused her to draw in a sharp breath. She wouldn’t need the facial recognition scan after all. Part III Zegon, despite his years of exposure to the supernatural and extraordinary, was not one to believe in ghosts, which was why he walked straight through the glowing minifigures and ripped the Blade of Eternity from its wall holder. “FINALLY!” he bellowed, as he felt the raw power from within the weapon warm him clammy hand, “FINALLY!” He directed the blade at a stray stone, and willed it to fire. Nothing happened. “What?!” he fumed, “Why won’t this blasted thing work!?” “Because,” an eerily hollow and echoing voice spoke from behind him, “You have not yet been deemed worthy.” Zegon spun around to face the speaker; no one but the three “ghosts” were standing there. “And how can something that is not actually in front of me deem me worthy?” Zegon retorted, more to himself then the apparitions in front of him. “We are the Spirits of Eternity, beings of pure energy tasked by the last of the First Builders with guarding the Power of Eternity,” the first spirit said, “And only those deemed worthy may wield the power you seek.” Zegon frowned. He’d heard of the power of the First Builders, and despite his disbelief in ghosts, if any race could make such things possible, it would be then. Perhaps it would be best to cast off the possibility of a hallucination and play along. “How does one prove their worth?” he enquired. This time it was the second spirit that replied. “You must allow us to instruct you in the secrets of the Power of Eternity. And you must hear its story, so the disasters of old are not repeated. Do you ---“ “Zegon.” “Do you accept, Zegon?” In Zegon’s eyes, obtaining the Power of Eternity was easily worth any instruction he had to receive. And he wanted the Power of Eternity more than anything in universe. “I accept.” “Then we begin,” the third spirit said. Part IV As the doctor walked back into the recovery ward, Vanda was already halfway to the door, a tense but somewhat relieved expression on her face. The doctor was holding a clipboard in his hand, and was obviously about to tell Vanda what he had been sent to find out. “We got an almost immediate hit on the records. The subject’s name is – “ “Her name is Dr Natasha Topiase, age 26,” Vanda interrupted, “She graduated the Nexus Force Academy at age 20 with advanced studies in biochemistry, nanorobotics and theoretical physics. She then took a four year doctorate in maelstrom chemistry at the Nexus City University of Science, receiving high honors for her work. She was then immediately recruited by the Paradox faction and sent to work at the Avant Gardens Research Facility. She went missing during the Battle of Avant Gardens and was assumed smashed or infected. It would appear the latter was correct.” The doctor glanced down at his clipboard, a look of disbelief on his slowly wrinkling face. “That’s correct,” he stammered, “But how did you know?” “Because I handpicked her from the NCUS to work at the AG facility. She was one of my best researchers, and to be honest, one of my best friends.” “I… I didn’t realize,” the doctor stammered, “I had no idea you had any frie… I mean, that’s a shame you thought you lost her.” Vanda glared at the doctor momentarily, but then turned her mind to more important things. “When will she be able to speak?” Vanda queried. “She should be able to speak in a few hours, but not fluently. The lack of vocal ability shared by stromlings won’t completely disappear until tomorrow.” “Thank you,” Vanda replied, “You’re dismissed.” By the time the doctor turned to leave, Vanda had forgotten that he had insulted her; she was completely engrossed in her friend’s recovery. When Natasha finally opened her eyes, Vanda’s face would be the first thing she saw. That’s what friends are for. Part V The Nexus Tower control lights switched to an all clear signal, and Alphos’ starcruiser shot out of the Nexus Tower hangar bay into the violet tinted fogs above the more unsavory parts of Crux Prime. Aboard the small vessel, Alphos flicked the system over to autopilot and sat back in his chair. It was going to be a long flight out of Nimbus System, even with hyperdrive. Normally, the distance between the scattered Crux chunks would only require short bursts of hyperdrive to travel between, but the gravity well of the massive maelstrom black hole nearby prevented hyperdrive engines from operating at anything even close to maximum efficiency. Oh well, Alphos thought. Once he was clear of Nimbus System, it would only take roughly two hours to reach their destination. That made twelve hours in total. Alphos knew that the best use of his time would be to better get to know his new team. He looked over his shoulder at the other three seats in the cockpit, each one filled with a member of his crew. Sitting there, they looked so young, so inexperienced, and Alphos feared that they weren’t ready for the stress of war. Then again, Alphos was sure that he’d looked the same way at first. Dawn had obviously been watching him as he thought, and could tell exactly what he was thinking. “I know we look new to all this Captain, but we won’t disappoint you. I promise,” she said. “Truth is guys, I’m more worried about disappointing you. I don’t exactly have a perfect resume,” Alphos replied grimly. It wasn’t just humility, he genuinely meant the words. Ever since he’d lost Axenya…. “I heard about the loss of Private Danexi at Nimbus Station,” Dawn said, “I’m sorry. There was nothing you could have done.” “Yeah,” Alphos mumbled, “That’s what everyone else told me.” Not that Alphos believed it himself. By now the ship had exited Crux Prime’s atmosphere, and was floating freely in space. “It’s not important right now,” Alphos remarked, as he flicked a few switches that launched the ship into hyperspace, “We’ve got a mission to do.” Part VI It was approximately 2:00 am when Natasha finally opened her eyes, and an extremely sleepy Vanda was the first to see her awake. By now her maelstrom infection had receded significantly; the only traces of her stromling history were a slight violet tint to her skin, and a few swollen purple lumps on her body. “You’re awake,” Vanda breathed, relief obvious in her tone, “You had me worried there.” Natasha blinked, her eyes first gazing out into nothingness, then turning to Vanda. “Who are you?” she rasped, “Where am I?” Vanda’s heart sank. The infection had most likely had an amnesia inducing effect on its victims. She might never regain her memory. “I’m Vanda,” Vanda said, “And you’re safe now.” Vanda, Natasha thought. Her mind swirled with a mix of feint and rapidly fading memories. Something about the name seemed compellingly familiar, the associated memories simply weren’t there. It had been claimed by the darkness. The darkness, she thought. “The… the darkness… so strong…,” Natasha murmured, more to herself than anyone else, “I can’t remember.” “You’re free of the darkness now,” Vanda comforted, “You’re in Nexus Tower.” Nexus Tower. That definitely stirred up something within her mind, but something about it, if nothing else, made her feel safe. She was safe. “Will I… will I ever be able to remember?” she queried softly. Vanda brushed away a looming frown at her impending response. This was her friend, a friend she wanted back. “I,” Vanda gulped, “I don’t know. But I do know that I will personally see that everything possible is done to ensure to highest odds of you getting your memory back. I promise.” Natasha’s eyes scanned Vanda, and easily identified that fatigue that flowed through the Paradox leader’s entire body. “You look tired. You should rest,” Natasha said. Vanda nodded in response. “Ok,” she replied, “But if you need anything, call for help. I’ll be there.” Vanda turned to leave, but stopped as the other spoke. “I will,” Natasha said, “And thank you, Vanda.” Part VII When Zegon’s once again became conscious of reality, he was longer in the Temple of Eternity. In fact, he was no longer on Crux Prime. He was lying down in a grassy field in the middle of nowhere. “What the…?” Zegon mumbled, “Where am I?” Suddenly, the three spirits materialized in front of him. The one closest to Zegon spoke. “Your mind is where our story begins,” the apparition said, “Your mortal form remains in the Temple of Eternity.” “So…,” Zegon began, trying to adjust to the “world” around him, “Where IS here?” “You have not left planet Crux,” the second spirit said, “You are observing the ancient kingdom of Jallan, as it was five thousand years ago.” “Minifigures not unlike you were becoming the dominant form of intelligence in the Universe, while the First Builders, as a species, were dying out,” the third spirit said, “The newborn race divided into several factions, each obsessed with power and control. As superior beings, the First Builders felt the need to settle the disputes for the sake of peace. That was their first mistake.” “How so?” Zegon probed, his curiosity now overwhelming him. “In time, Zegon, you shall learn the answer to this question,” the first spirit said, “for we will not simply tell you. Only through observation will you find your answer.” “But-“ “We shall leave you now,” the spirits said in unison, “Only once you have seen the entire story will you exit your comatose state. Farewell.” The three spirits faded from Zegon’s view, and with that, he was alone. He gazed off into the distance, and noticed the smoke of an old-fashioned chimney. I wouldn’t be alone for long, he reasoned, and marched off towards what he assumed would be civilization. Part VIII Exodus Prime sat in his elegantly carved throne in what had once most likely been the grand chamber of the ancient palace inside of which his headquarters now lay. Soon, the entire universe could very well be his. Soon, the Nexus Force would fall, and fall at his hand. Soon, he thought himself, soon. It was during his reverie that Exodus 1, formerly Exodus 23, walked into the room. He was not unaware of her arrival, and turned his head to meet her determined gaze. “What is your purpose here?” Prime asked. The other titled her helmeted head slightly to one side as she readied her response, then spoke. “Our informant has just contacted us,” she said, “A Nexus Force transport has detected on maelstrom presence on the surface on this planet. They have dispatched a team to investigate.” “Hyperspace vector?” “The vessel departed from Nexus Tower approximately ten hours ago. It took that much time for our contact to find a secure channel from his position.” “Very good, 23,” Exodus Prime droned in his semi-mechanical voice, “Prepare the Venture Explorer for launch.” “May I ask, to what end, Master?” “We have guests, 23,” Prime replied, a touch of menace in his tone, “We must greet them.” Part IX Zegon reached what indeed turned out to be a village without much incident. It consisted of a group of small medieval-looking houses; cobblestone walls with wooden support pillars, and roves made of interwoven wooden planks. Minifigures roamed the streets, going about their day to day lives. It wasn’t until one minifigure walked straight through Zegon however, that he realized that what the spirits had said was true; no one was aware of his presence. “Great,” he muttered, “Well that rules out asking questions. Guess I’ll just have to be observant.” I didn’t take very long to notice something that was out of the ordinary. A young minifigure came running through the streets, maybe about fifteen years old, with blonde hair, and screaming at the top of his lungs. “THEY’RE COMING!!” he screeched, “FLEE!” Instantly, the population within earshot dropped any possessions they held in their hands and scrambled as though they had seen a ghost. It didn’t take long to work out why; at the far end of the street Zegon stood on, smoke was rising from burning houses. The houses were being set on fire by burning torches, and the minifigures holding those torches wore dark gray iron armor and each had a wicked looking sword sheathed at his waist. Knights. Enemy ones, by the looks of things. The knights ripped through the village, smashing everyone in the path, and burning every house in the village until there was nothing and no one but stone ruins left. They had destroyed an entire village. The knight leading the pack, obviously in charge, by the look of the decorative sash on his armor, started barking orders to his men. “Find the Builder and take his Blade!” he commanded, “Do not strike him down; King Arkor wants him alive.” If Zegon wanted answers, this was his chance to get them. “Yes Sir!” the knights shouted, and marched off in search of their target. Without a second thought, Zegon followed them. Part X After eleven hours in close quarters with each other, the members of Alphos’ team were finally starting to break down their official military barriers and warm up to each other. As it happened, Retex was quite the joker, and had been cracking Lekon up for the past hour, while Shento watched on silently. It was only after Alphos himself had made small crack in response that he realized that he might be able to get used to this. If only life was that simple. The fact was still remained that Alphos and his team were going to investigate Maelstrom infection outside of Nimbus Station, a situation that could lose the Nexus Force the war. It would be hard to imagine things getting much worse than that. At that moment, a screen on the ship’s dashboard began glowing and beeping in a somewhat shrill and ear-piercing tone. Dawn reached over to the screen, and read the words scrolling across it. “What does it say?” Alphos said. “Nexus Force distress signal,” she replied, “A few months old, but still…” “How far out of our hyperspace course?” “Not at all,” Dawn said, “It’s right in our path.” Alphos went silent at that moment. What were the odds of a distressed ship being directly in line with their hyperspace vector? Still, Nexus Force protocol dictates that any ship in a position to respond to a distress signal must do so. Alphos didn’t have much of a choice. “Take us out of hyperspace near the distressed ship,” he said to Lekon, “ETA?” “One minute,” she replied, and began powering down the hyperdrive in preparation for re-entry into “normal” space. That’s went things took a serious turn for the bad. Alphos’ ship shot out of hyperspace, and instantly the distressed ship was in view. Alphos gaped in horror at the all-too-familiar maelstrom-corrupted metal, and the old, faded Venture League emblems decorating the hull. “The Venture Explorer,” Alphos murmured. Chapter III Part I “Shields up, NOW!” Alphos yelled, “Retex, Shento, to the gunner pods!” Even as Sargent Dawn Lekon powered up the shields, a sizzling energy blast from the enemy ship struck the tiny vessel, fully shaking all aboard. Alphos switched the controls of auto-pilot and threw himself upon the controls, sending the ship spiraling into an evasive maneuver. Already glowing purple starfighters were breaking off from a tight formation around the Venture Explorer to begin an assault on Alphos’ ship. “Hold on tight, guys,” Alphos shouted, “This is gonna get ugly! Lekon! Bring the hyperdrive back on line! Program a course for Nexus Tower!” “But the mission…?!” she exclaimed. “It was a trap!” The leading starfighter had gotten into firing range by now, and had opened up its guns on the cruiser. A whoop emerged from Private Retex’s gunner pod as the starfighter was blown to pieces. His joy faded as another three of them bore down on the ship in a delta formation. “INCOMING!” Alphos yelled, throwing the ship into a tight corkscrew that neatly wove its way around the lethal spacecraft. He then drew the ship back around in an arc, allowing Retex and Shento to shoot down the fighters from behind. “Course is set!” Lekon exclaimed, then frowned suddenly, “But the hyperdrive isn’t fully online.”